Understanding how super-massive black holes form and grow in the early Universe has become a major challenge
since it was discovered that luminous quasars existed only 700 million years after the Big ...Bang
. Simulations indicate an evolutionary sequence of dust-reddened quasars emerging from heavily dust-obscured starbursts that then transition to unobscured luminous quasars by expelling gas and dust
. Although the last phase has been identified out to a redshift of 7.6 (ref.
), a transitioning quasar has not been found at similar redshifts owing to their faintness at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Here we report observations of an ultraviolet compact object, GNz7q, associated with a dust-enshrouded starburst at a redshift of 7.1899 ± 0.0005. The host galaxy is more luminous in dust emission than any other known object at this epoch, forming 1,600 solar masses of stars per year within a central radius of 480 parsec. A red point source in the far-ultraviolet is identified in deep, high-resolution imaging and slitless spectroscopy. GNz7q is extremely faint in X-rays, which indicates the emergence of a uniquely ultraviolet compact star-forming region or a Compton-thick super-Eddington black-hole accretion disk at the dusty starburst core. In the latter case, the observed properties are consistent with predictions from cosmological simulations
and suggest that GNz7q is an antecedent to unobscured luminous quasars at later epochs.
Abstract
We investigate the fraction of close pairs and morphologically identified mergers on and above the star-forming main sequence (MS) at 0.2 ≤ z ≤2.0. The novelty of our work lies in the use of ...a non-parametric morphological classification performed on resolved stellar mass maps, reducing the contamination by non-interacting, high-redshift clumpy galaxies. We find that the merger fraction rapidly rises to ≥70 per cent above the MS, implying that – already at z ≳ 1 – starburst (SB) events (ΔMS ≥ 0.6) are almost always associated with a major merger (1:1 to 1:6 mass ratio). The majority of interacting galaxies in the SB region are morphologically disturbed, late-stage mergers. Pair fractions show little dependence on MS offset and pairs are more prevalent than late-stage mergers only in the lower half of the MS. In our sample, major mergers on the MS occur with a roughly equal frequency of ∼5–10 per cent at all masses ≳ 1010 M⊙. The MS major merger fraction roughly doubles between z = 0.2 and 2, with morphological mergers driving the overall increase at z ≳ 1. The differential redshift evolution of interacting pairs and morphologically classified mergers on the MS can be reconciled by evolving observability time-scales for both pairs and morphological disturbances. The observed variation of the late-stage merger fraction with ΔMS follows the perturbative 2-Star Formation Mode model, where any MS galaxy can experience a continuum of different star formation rate enhancements. This points to an SB–merger connection not only for extreme events, but also more moderate bursts which merely scatter galaxies upward within the MS, rather than fully elevating them above it.
We present the detection of multiple carbon monoxide CO line transitions with ALMA in a few tens of infrared-selected galaxies on and above the main sequence at
z
= 1.1−1.7. We reliably detected the ...emission of CO (5 − 4), CO (2 − 1), and CO (7 − 6)+C I(
3
P
2
−
3
P
1
) in 50, 33, and 13 galaxies, respectively, and we complemented this information with available CO (4 − 3) and C I(
3
P
1
−
3
P
0
) fluxes for part of the sample, and by modeling of the optical-to-millimeter spectral energy distribution. We retrieve a quasi-linear relation between
L
IR
and CO (5 − 4) or CO (7 − 6) for main-sequence galaxies and starbursts, corroborating the hypothesis that these transitions can be used as star formation rate (SFR) tracers. We find the CO excitation to steadily increase as a function of the star formation efficiency, the mean intensity of the radiation field warming the dust (⟨
U
⟩), the surface density of SFR (Σ
SFR
), and, less distinctly, with the distance from the main sequence (ΔMS). This adds to the tentative evidence for higher excitation of the CO+C I spectral line energy distribution (SLED) of starburst galaxies relative to that for main-sequence objects, where the dust opacities play a minor role in shaping the high-
J
CO transitions in our sample. However, the distinction between the average SLED of upper main-sequence and starburst galaxies is blurred, driven by a wide variety of intrinsic shapes. Large velocity gradient radiative transfer modeling demonstrates the existence of a highly excited component that elevates the CO SLED of high-redshift main-sequence and starbursting galaxies above the typical values observed in the disk of the Milky Way. This excited component is dense and it encloses ∼50% of the total molecular gas mass in main-sequence objects. We interpret the observed trends involving the CO excitation as to be mainly determined by a combination of large SFRs and compact sizes, as a large Σ
SFR
is naturally connected with enhanced dense molecular gas fractions and higher dust and gas temperatures, due to increasing ultraviolet radiation fields, cosmic ray rates, as well as dust and gas coupling. We release the full data compilation and the ancillary information to the community.
In the framework of a systematic study with the ALMA interferometer of IR-selected main-sequence and starburst galaxies at
z
∼ 1 − 1.7 at typical ∼1″ resolution, we report on the effects of mid-IR- ...and X-ray-detected active galactic nuclei (AGN) on the reservoirs and excitation of molecular gas in a sample of 55 objects. We find widespread detectable nuclear activity in ∼30% of the sample. The presence of dusty tori influences the IR spectral energy distribution of galaxies, as highlighted by the strong correlation among the AGN contribution to the total IR luminosity budget (
f
AGN
=
L
IR, AGN
/
L
IR
), its hard X-ray emission, and the Rayleigh-Jeans to mid-IR (
S
1.2 mm
/
S
24 μm
) observed color, with evident consequences on the ensuing empirical star formation rate estimates. Nevertheless, we find only marginal effects of the presence and strength of AGN on the carbon monoxide CO (
J
= 2, 4, 5, 7) or neutral carbon (C I(
3
P
1
−
3
P
0
), C I(
3
P
2
−
3
P
1
)) line luminosities and on the derived molecular gas excitation as gauged by line ratios and the full spectral line energy distributions. The C I and CO emission up to
J
= 5, 7 thus primarily traces the properties of the host in typical IR luminous galaxies. However, our analysis highlights the existence of a large variety of line luminosities and ratios despite the homogeneous selection. In particular, we find a sparse group of AGN-dominated sources with the highest
L
IR, AGN
/
L
IR, SFR
ratios, ≳3, that are more luminous in CO (5−4) than what is predicted by the
L
′
CO(5-4)
−
L
IR, SFR
relation, which might be the result of the nuclear activity. For the general population, our findings translate into AGN having minimal effects on quantities such as gas and dust fractions and star formation efficiencies. If anything, we find hints of a marginal tendency of AGN hosts to be compact at far-IR wavelengths and to display 1.8 times larger dust optical depths. In general, this is consistent with a marginal impact of the nuclear activity on the gas reservoirs and star formation in average star-forming AGN hosts with
L
IR
> 5 × 10
11
L
⊙
, typically underrepresented in surveys of quasars and submillimeter galaxies.
Abstract
We present a set of multiwavelength mosaics and photometric catalogs in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) lensing cluster survey fields. The catalogs were built by the ...reprocessing of archival data from the Complete Hubble Archive for Galaxy Evolution compilation, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey, Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble, and Hubble Frontier Fields. Additionally, we have reconstructed the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera 3.6 and 4.5
μ
m mosaics, by utilizing all the available archival IPAC Infrared Science Archive/Spitzer Heritage Archive exposures. To alleviate the effect of blending in such a crowded region, we have modeled the Spitzer photometry by convolving the HST detection image with the Spitzer point-spread function using the novel
golfir
software. The final catalogs contain 218,000 sources, covering a combined area of 690 arcmin
2
, a factor of ∼2 improvement over the currently existing photometry. A large number of detected sources is a result of reprocessing of all available and sometimes deeper exposures, in conjunction with a combined optical–near-IR detection strategy. These data will serve as an important tool in aiding the search of the submillimeter galaxies in future ALMA surveys, as well as follow-ups of the HST dark and high-
z
sources with JWST. Coupled with the available HST photometry, the addition of the 3.6 and 4.5
μ
m bands will allow us to place a better constraint on the photometric redshifts and stellar masses of these objects, thus giving us an opportunity to identify high-redshift candidates for spectroscopic follow-ups and to answer the important questions regarding the Epoch of Reionization and formation of the first galaxies. The mosaics, photometric catalogs, and the best-fit physical properties are publicly available at
https://github.com/dawn-cph/alcs-clusters
.
Abstract
We present a joint analysis of the galaxy S04590 at
z
= 8.496 based on NIRSpec, NIRCam, and NIRISS observations obtained as part of the Early Release Observations program of the James Webb ...Space Telescope (JWST) and the far-infrared C
ii
158
μ
m emission line detected by dedicated Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations. We determine the physical properties of S04590 from modeling of the spectral energy distribution (SED) and through the redshifted optical nebular emission lines detected with JWST/NIRSpec. The best-fit SED model reveals a low-mass (
M
⋆
= 10
7.2
–10
8
M
⊙
) galaxy with a low oxygen abundance of
12
+
log
(
O
/
H
)
=
7.16
−
0.12
+
0.10
derived from the strong nebular and auroral emission lines. Assuming that C
ii
effectively traces the interstellar medium, we estimate the total gas mass of the galaxy to be
M
gas
= (8.0 ± 4.0) × 10
8
M
⊙
based on the luminosity and spatial extent of C
ii
. This yields an exceptionally high gas fraction,
f
gas
=
M
gas
/(
M
gas
+
M
⋆
) ≳ 90%, though one still consistent with the range expected for low metallicity. We further derive the metal mass of the galaxy based on the gas mass and gas-phase metallicity, which we find to be consistent with the expected metal production from Type II supernovae. Finally, we make the first constraints on the dust-to-gas (DTG) and dust-to-metal (DTM) ratios of galaxies in the epoch of reionization at
z
≳ 6, showing overall low mass ratios of logDTG < −3.8 and logDTM < −0.5, though they are consistent with established scaling relations and in particular with those of the local metal-poor galaxy I Zwicky 18. Our analysis highlights the synergy between ALMA and JWST in characterizing the gas, metal, and stellar content of the first generation of galaxies.
Abstract
While space-borne optical and near-infrared facilities have succeeded in delivering a precise and spatially resolved picture of our Universe, their small survey area is known to ...underrepresent the true diversity of galaxy populations. Ground-based surveys have reached comparable depths but at lower spatial resolution, resulting in source confusion that hampers accurate photometry extractions. What once was limited to the infrared regime has now begun to challenge ground-based ultradeep surveys, affecting detection and photometry alike. Failing to address these challenges will mean forfeiting a representative view into the distant Universe. We introduce
The Farmer
: an automated, reproducible profile-fitting photometry package that pairs a library of smooth parametric models from
The Tractor
with a decision tree that determines the best-fit model in concert with neighboring sources. Photometry is measured by fitting the models on other bands leaving brightness free to vary. The resulting photometric measurements are naturally total, and no aperture corrections are required. Supporting diagnostics (e.g.,
χ
2
) enable measurement validation. As fitting models is relatively time intensive,
The Farmer
is built with high-performance computing routines. We benchmark
The Farmer
on a set of realistic COSMOS-like images and find accurate photometry, number counts, and galaxy shapes.
The Farmer
is already being utilized to produce catalogs for several large-area deep extragalactic surveys where it has been shown to tackle some of the most challenging optical and near-infrared data available, with the promise of extending to other ultradeep surveys expected in the near future.
The Farmer
is available to download from GitHub (
https://github.com/astroweaver/the_farmer
) and Zenodo (
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8205817
).
Samples of skin, tendons, muscles, and knitwear composed of NiTi wire are studied by uniaxial cyclic tension and stretching to rupture. The metal knitted mesh behaves similar to a superelastic ...material when stretched, similar to soft biological tissues. The superelasticity effect was found in NiTi wire, but not in the mesh composed of it. A softening effect similar to biological tissues is observed during the cyclic stretching of the mesh. The mechanical behavior of the NiTi mesh is similar to the biomechanical behavior of biological tissues. The discovered superelastic effects allow developing criteria for the selection and evaluation of mesh materials composed of titanium nickelide for soft tissue reconstructive surgery.
Abstract
Mid-infrared (mid-IR) observations are powerful in identifying heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) that have weak emission in other wavelengths. Data from the Mid-Infrared ...Instrument (MIRI) on board the James Webb Space Telescope provides an excellent opportunity to perform such studies. We take advantage of the MIRI imaging data from the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey to investigate the AGN population in the distant universe. We estimate the source properties of MIRI-selected objects by utilizing spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling, and classify them into star-forming galaxies (SFs), SF-AGN mixed objects, and AGN. The source numbers of these types are 433, 102, and 25, respectively, from four MIRI pointings covering ∼9 arcmin
2
. The sample spans a redshift range of ≈0–5. We derive the median SEDs for all three source types, respectively, and publicly release them. The median MIRI SED of AGN is similar to the typical SEDs of hot dust-obscured galaxies and Seyfert 2s, for which the mid-IR SEDs are dominated by emission from AGN-heated hot dust. Based on our SED-fit results, we estimate the black hole accretion density (BHAD; i.e., total BH growth rate per comoving volume) as a function of redshift. At
z
< 3, the resulting BHAD agrees with the X-ray measurements in general. At
z
> 3, we identify a total of 27 AGN and SF-AGN mixed objects, leading to that our high-
z
BHAD is substantially higher than the X-ray results (∼0.5 dex at
z
≈ 3–5). This difference indicates MIRI can identify a large population of heavily obscured AGN missed by X-ray surveys at high redshifts.
Coatings based on calcium phosphate with thicknesses of 0.5 and 2 μm were obtained by high-frequency magnetron sputtering on NiTi substrates in an argon atmosphere. The coating was characterized ...using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and in vitro cytocompatibility and bioactivity studies. A biphasic coating of tricalcium phosphate (Ca
(PO
)
) and hydroxyapatite (Ca
(PO
)
(OH)
) with a 100% degree of crystallinity was formed on the surface. The layer enriched in calcium, phosphorus, and oxygen was observed using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface structure is homogeneous without visible defects. The 2 µm thick coating obtained by sputtering with a deposition time of 4 h and a deposition rate of 0.43 µm/h is uniform, contains the highest amount of the calcium phosphate phase, and is most suitable for the faster growth of cells and accelerated formation of apatite layers. Samples with calcium phosphate coatings do not cause hemolysis and have a low cytotoxicity index. The results of immersion in a solution simulating body fluid show that NiTi with the biphasic coating promotes apatite growth, which is beneficial for biological activity.